Complications, with commentary
For erinm_4600, with gratitude!
The original story, without commentary, may be found here.
First, I have to say, "Wait... what?" surranndie very kindly rec'd this story during Author Appreciation Week, and erinm_4600 asked for commentary on it, both of which made me very happy. I just ... never thought of this as one of my better stories. *scratches head* Maybe that's one of the secret reasons for this meme; maybe something about doing the commentary will help me realize why readers like this story better than I do.
Title: Complications
Characters: Ambrose, Cain
I call him Ambrose in this one because I assume the rebrainment went just fine and he reclaimed his earlier identity. That isn't meant, however, to rule out the possibility of a future in which he doesn't get his brain restored, but still returns to his former name and position, perhaps with the assistance of a friendly neurologist.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Imagiquest Entertainment. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Rating: G
Warnings: Slash
Because they are an old married couple at this point.
ETA: Thanks to erin_4600, I realize that this story isn't actually any slashier than the miniseries; it could be read as gen. Gen with, uh, lots of touching.
Word Count: 455
Summary: Cain finds that Ambrose has a new hobby
Author's Note: Response to prompt #5 from magic4mula: "Watercress ... Whispers ... Want ... Wander."
By the way, I haven't skipped #4; I'm working on a slightly longer story that it inspired!
Yeah, *still* working on that one!
After a half-hour of searching the palace grounds, Cain found Ambrose in the garden, cheerfully weeding a patch of watercress under the watchful eye of the master gardener.
The master gardener is quite a bit older than Cain and Ambrose, taciturn, sun-weathered, tough as nails, and extremely protective of her garden. She barely comes up to Ambrose's shoulder. She has no qualms about scolding or even smacking him if he endangers any of her precious plants. Ambrose finds this refreshing, compared to the deference with which most people treat him.
It was a warm sunny day; the garden was filled with the drowsy buzzing of insects and the whispers of distant conversations. Ambrose, his coat off and sleeves rolled up, was kneeling in the dirt, an errant curl plastered to his forehead with sweat.
The curl wasn't in the original draft; I added it because it Just Needed To Be There.
"So this is where you go when you disappear in the middle of the day?" Cain asked, looking fondly down at his friend. Ten years after the restoration of the Queen - and of his brain - the Queen's advisor still enjoyed a well-earned reputation for eccentricity.
I'm assuming Ambrose was pretty eccentric to start with, even before he became Glitch.
Ambrose grinned up at Cain and nodded. "It's peaceful here," he said. "I can work on just one thing at a time and let my mind wander."
This kinda relates to my long post on tinman_meta about ADHD a while back.
Cain dropped down to sit cross-legged on the grass beside him.
Which is not easy for most fifty-year-olds, but I was figuring that he has some security-related job that has kept him incredibly hot in good shape.
Ambrose continued working for a few minutes, and then spoke again. "It reminds me of simpler times."
"Before the Sorceress, you mean?" Cain asked.
Ambrose shook his head. "During her reign. When I was a headcase," he said unexpectedly.
"Never thought you'd sound nostalgic about that," Cain said.
"Ah, but then I could wander anywhere I wanted, with no particular concern other than staying alive. There was a certain simplicity about it. No strategy meetings, no grand receptions, no backroom wheeling and dealing. Just me--" he made a sweeping gesture with one arm, "--and the O.Z."
I was unemployed for two years (2002-2004) after I left a horrible job. Long personal story about why I stayed put instead of moving to find a new job right away. I love the job I have now, but it's stressful, and sometimes I miss that less complicated time.
He beckoned to the master gardener and pointed to the patch he had finished. She squinted down at it and gave a short nod. Ambrose beamed.
A nod from the gardener means a huge amount to Ambrose. It's very hard to earn.
"You're a deep well, Ambrose," said Cain, getting to his feet and extending a hand downward.
When Cain called Glitch a deep well in the original miniseries, he seemed to be referring to the curious layering of pre-headcase Ambrose's latent genius behind Glitch's feckless exterior. I repeated the line to show that he is also fascinated by post-rebrainment Ambrose as an integrated whole. It wasn't just the presentation; it was the content.
"Don't get me wrong," Ambrose said, accepting the hand, and standing up. "I wouldn't trade my life now for anything."
Come to think of it, that's pretty much how I feel now, too. Nostalgic as I might be for that period of unemployment, I really do love what I do now. *thinky face* Maybe what people are responding to when they read this is a kind of genuineness because it's based on something from my own life. Which wasn't really something I was planning to put in when I wrote it; it just came out that way.
Letting go, he rolled his sleeves back down and tried to brush himself off. Cain tried to help, but it seemed he was just moving the dirt and dead grass from one place to another. Ambrose smacked him when Cain tried to brush off the back of his trousers, and they both laughed.
I wanted their body language to reflect the lack of personal space they showed in the miniseries, plus ten years of living together.
They walked slowly back to the palace, reveling in a last few minutes of sunshine and freedom before returning to duty. "You sure you're happy with the way things are?" Cain asked thoughtfully. "Your life has certainly gotten a lot more complicated."
Ambrose hooked his arm through Cain's as he answered.
I didn't want to go into a lot of detail, but in this story, I don't envision there being any problem with their relationship being known, so they can do things like this openly.
"But you are one of those complications," he said. "One that I would never want to be without."
"I can't disagree with you there," Cain said. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you cleaned up."
The original story, without commentary, may be found here.
First, I have to say, "Wait... what?" surranndie very kindly rec'd this story during Author Appreciation Week, and erinm_4600 asked for commentary on it, both of which made me very happy. I just ... never thought of this as one of my better stories. *scratches head* Maybe that's one of the secret reasons for this meme; maybe something about doing the commentary will help me realize why readers like this story better than I do.
Title: Complications
Characters: Ambrose, Cain
I call him Ambrose in this one because I assume the rebrainment went just fine and he reclaimed his earlier identity. That isn't meant, however, to rule out the possibility of a future in which he doesn't get his brain restored, but still returns to his former name and position, perhaps with the assistance of a friendly neurologist.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Imagiquest Entertainment. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Rating: G
Warnings: Slash
Because they are an old married couple at this point.
ETA: Thanks to erin_4600, I realize that this story isn't actually any slashier than the miniseries; it could be read as gen. Gen with, uh, lots of touching.
Word Count: 455
Summary: Cain finds that Ambrose has a new hobby
Author's Note: Response to prompt #5 from magic4mula: "Watercress ... Whispers ... Want ... Wander."
By the way, I haven't skipped #4; I'm working on a slightly longer story that it inspired!
Yeah, *still* working on that one!
After a half-hour of searching the palace grounds, Cain found Ambrose in the garden, cheerfully weeding a patch of watercress under the watchful eye of the master gardener.
The master gardener is quite a bit older than Cain and Ambrose, taciturn, sun-weathered, tough as nails, and extremely protective of her garden. She barely comes up to Ambrose's shoulder. She has no qualms about scolding or even smacking him if he endangers any of her precious plants. Ambrose finds this refreshing, compared to the deference with which most people treat him.
It was a warm sunny day; the garden was filled with the drowsy buzzing of insects and the whispers of distant conversations. Ambrose, his coat off and sleeves rolled up, was kneeling in the dirt, an errant curl plastered to his forehead with sweat.
The curl wasn't in the original draft; I added it because it Just Needed To Be There.
"So this is where you go when you disappear in the middle of the day?" Cain asked, looking fondly down at his friend. Ten years after the restoration of the Queen - and of his brain - the Queen's advisor still enjoyed a well-earned reputation for eccentricity.
I'm assuming Ambrose was pretty eccentric to start with, even before he became Glitch.
Ambrose grinned up at Cain and nodded. "It's peaceful here," he said. "I can work on just one thing at a time and let my mind wander."
This kinda relates to my long post on tinman_meta about ADHD a while back.
Cain dropped down to sit cross-legged on the grass beside him.
Which is not easy for most fifty-year-olds, but I was figuring that he has some security-related job that has kept him incredibly hot in good shape.
Ambrose continued working for a few minutes, and then spoke again. "It reminds me of simpler times."
"Before the Sorceress, you mean?" Cain asked.
Ambrose shook his head. "During her reign. When I was a headcase," he said unexpectedly.
"Never thought you'd sound nostalgic about that," Cain said.
"Ah, but then I could wander anywhere I wanted, with no particular concern other than staying alive. There was a certain simplicity about it. No strategy meetings, no grand receptions, no backroom wheeling and dealing. Just me--" he made a sweeping gesture with one arm, "--and the O.Z."
I was unemployed for two years (2002-2004) after I left a horrible job. Long personal story about why I stayed put instead of moving to find a new job right away. I love the job I have now, but it's stressful, and sometimes I miss that less complicated time.
He beckoned to the master gardener and pointed to the patch he had finished. She squinted down at it and gave a short nod. Ambrose beamed.
A nod from the gardener means a huge amount to Ambrose. It's very hard to earn.
"You're a deep well, Ambrose," said Cain, getting to his feet and extending a hand downward.
When Cain called Glitch a deep well in the original miniseries, he seemed to be referring to the curious layering of pre-headcase Ambrose's latent genius behind Glitch's feckless exterior. I repeated the line to show that he is also fascinated by post-rebrainment Ambrose as an integrated whole. It wasn't just the presentation; it was the content.
"Don't get me wrong," Ambrose said, accepting the hand, and standing up. "I wouldn't trade my life now for anything."
Come to think of it, that's pretty much how I feel now, too. Nostalgic as I might be for that period of unemployment, I really do love what I do now. *thinky face* Maybe what people are responding to when they read this is a kind of genuineness because it's based on something from my own life. Which wasn't really something I was planning to put in when I wrote it; it just came out that way.
Letting go, he rolled his sleeves back down and tried to brush himself off. Cain tried to help, but it seemed he was just moving the dirt and dead grass from one place to another. Ambrose smacked him when Cain tried to brush off the back of his trousers, and they both laughed.
I wanted their body language to reflect the lack of personal space they showed in the miniseries, plus ten years of living together.
They walked slowly back to the palace, reveling in a last few minutes of sunshine and freedom before returning to duty. "You sure you're happy with the way things are?" Cain asked thoughtfully. "Your life has certainly gotten a lot more complicated."
Ambrose hooked his arm through Cain's as he answered.
I didn't want to go into a lot of detail, but in this story, I don't envision there being any problem with their relationship being known, so they can do things like this openly.
"But you are one of those complications," he said. "One that I would never want to be without."
"I can't disagree with you there," Cain said. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you cleaned up."